Arcanum
by Drakai
Summary: So, what is one of the most common magical items? Why, a mirror. And if that mirror isn't really a mirror? If it's a portal... to an Academy?
1. Chapter 1

**Ok, so, yeah, new story. I really couldn't resist, I've been having this one on my mind a lot lately, it has to do with my favorite subject after all. Magic.**

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With a small smile on his face, Hiruzen Sarutobi, the Sandaime Hokage of Konoha, looked at the small, four-year-old, ball of energy by name of Naruto. Well four today. And the blond child was really excited about his present.

"What is it, old man? Huh, huh? What is it?" Sarutobi chuckled and moved to the side, letting the blond see his present.

"So what is it?" Confusion replaced the previous excitement.

"A mirror, Naruto. It's a mirror." And it was. Almost ten ft. tall and five ft. wide, with intricate gold tracings on its frame. At the very top there was a small circular space.

"Who gives a kid a mirror?" The four-year-old asked.

"Never mind that now." Sarutobi chuckled sheepishly. "I had to get rid of it somehow; it was taking up space at the Closet." He was referring, of course, to the room where all the previous leaders of the village dumped everything they didn't understand. "Just enjoy it."

"Alright, fine. But it's gonna get broken." Naruto muttered lowly.

"Yes, you'd think so, wouldn't you?" The Hokage took out a kunai from under his robes and smashed the blunt end of it against the glass. There was a dull thud, but the mirror didn't even waver. "But I don't think you'll need to worry about that." The child slowly nodded, his eyes wide. "Now I have to get going. Happy Birthday, Naruto." The Hokage patted the boy on the head and left.

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The December of the year after, two months after Naruto's fifth birthday, found the still-young child outside, looking over the shiny, colorful stalls of the travelling merchants that came to the village every year. He especially liked these visits because that was the only time the villagers didn't dear to do anything to him, for fear of driving the merchants away.

So there he was, laughing and enjoying himself like a normal child would, looking at all the weapons, jewels and other sparkly objects, when he bumped into one of the villagers.

"Watch it, brat." The man growled at him, shifting his left arm uncomfortably inside his coat, but didn't do anything else.

"Hey, mister, what's wrong with your hand?"

"Nothing, brat, go away." The man growled, looking behind him.

"Hey, stop that thief!" A plump merchant in colorful garb was running towards them. The man's look turned to panic for a moment and he took off, fleeing from the merchant. Or, rather, he would, had Naruto not acted on impulse and stuck his leg out, tripping the villager.

The moment the thief got ahold of himself and managed to get up the merchant was on him, sqeezing his arm tightly. "Got you. Think you can steal from me, huh? Nice job kid, thanks a lot."

"I won't forget this you little brat." The villager sqeezed out through his teeth.

"Oh shut up. Say, kid, why don't you come with me. I just need to drop this stupid fellow off to the local authorities and I'll show you to my stand. I think you'll find something you like there."

"Thank you, sir, but I don't have any money." Naruto smiled a little at the kind man.

"Don't worry about it. As thanks for helping me, I'll give you one item for free." Naruto's smile widened and he ran after the big man.

The pair dropped off the villager to a random Anbu along the way, and it wasn't long before they got to the stall the merchant was so proud of. He was one of the jewelers that came, maybe even one of the best. Naruto didn't really know how to tell the difference, but all the items he had for sale looked very well made. He took out a necklace with a tear-shaped amethyst on it and put it with the rest.

"So, take a look, tell me what you like." He motioned at the jewelry. Naruto stood on his toes and peered at the table. He scanned over several very beautiful rings made from everything from diamonds to opals, pretty necklaces and pendants, but nothing drew his attention. At least, until he got to the very last item in stock. It was at the far corner of the table, and seemed almost separated from the rest. It was a beautiful golden sphere of about 8 inches in diameter, and engraved with flowing golden vine-like shapes. At the very center of it was a dark sapphire.

"There, I'll take that. Naruto said after only a moment of thought.

"Hm, strange you should choose that. Nobody's ever bought that before. I've had it for at least ten years. But a promise is a promise. You can take it." He thanked the merchant and ran to his house, clutching the sphere to his chest.

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Entering his house, Naruto took a beeline straight to the mirror he had gotten last year. He looked up, at the circle on top, and then at the sphere. From down there it looked like a perfect match, just as he thought it might when he first saw the engravings, but he needed to be up there to see for sure. The mirror was 10 ft. tall. He wasn't even 3 ft. 2. This wasn't going to be easy at all.

An hour later, and several falls from various heights, Naruto managed to climb up to the circle using a bunch of chairs and other implements and, having judged why the hell not, put the sphere he got inside it.

A ripple went through the glass of the mirror, but nothing else significant happened. Sighing in disappointment, Naruto tried to climb down, but his foot caught the chair and the whole construction tumbled forward. The chairs fell in a heap at the foot of the mirror and Naruto's face went straight for the glass. Expecting a solid impact, he was very surprised when the mirror ripped again when he contacted it, and he fell through. The mirror steadied from the final ripple before turning completely solid.

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He did, however, impact a hard, stone floor on the other side. Quite hard, in fact.

"Ugh." Naruto was dazed for a moment, but managed to collect himself and get up from the floor. The room he was in was circular, large and well lit. There were candles burning on the two windows that were on opposite sides of the room. Every other wall was lined with bookshelves, filled with books, scrolls, boxes and many other things. In front of him was a desk with another candelabrum and a very big book. Behind that was a staircase leading down. Behind him was a replica of the mirror he had at his house. Only this one had an emerald at the top.

Naruto tapped the mirror's glass. It was completely solid. So, having nothing else to do, he moved to the desk and looked at the book. It was easily as big as he was, and just as thick. He opened it on the first page, with some trouble.

"_Encantus_? What's an Encantus?" Naruto muttered to himself. "I'm guessing the book, right?" He said to no one. "_The Encantus of Galadrion the Wise, last Archmage of the Academia Arcana. _Mage? You've got to be kidding me." No answer. "This is a book of magic? Oh, I'm so glad I can read right now."

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A week later, back at the village, Sarutobi had finally managed to find time to visit the small blond. He was very surprised, however, to find chairs strew all around the big mirror he had given him, but the boy himself nowhere in sight. Acting fast, he organized a search with his best Anbu trackers, but, even after a week of searching the village and surrounding areas, they found no sign of him. And so, with a heavy heart, he had informed the Council of the boy's disappearance. They caused an uproar, demanding he be returned or branded a Missing Nin, but they could do nothing.

Unfortunately for them, this was not the last they would hear of the blond. Not in the least.

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**The actual magic part of the story, I thought you'd like to know, will be kind of a mix between the Forgotten Realms magic system and the Sorcerer's Apprentice magic system. The movie. So, there will be schools of magic, but no strict spells to speak of. It's kinda complicated.**

**Next chapter I will introduce eight people who will be Naruto's apprentices. One for each school. And later, when they get to that level, they will in turn be taking students. The first eight are already picked out, but the others aren't, so I'm open to any suggestions.**


	2. Chapter 2

"Master, Master! Wake up!" It was a beautiful day, in the middle of August; seven years after Naruto fell through the mirror. A small grey creature flew through the open window and landed on the desk, in front of a sleeping Naruto. "MASTER!" It yelled in his ear.

"Gah!" Naruto woke up with a start. "Oh, Kaji. It's just you."

"Just me?" The little creature sounded offended. Naruto chuckled at it and straightened up in his chair, stretching his arms a little.

"So, what is it?" He looked at the little imp he had conjured all those years ago. He was a very loyal follower, although not the brightest.

"It's the last pree-lim-o-nary ro-port." The imps dropped a scroll with a name on the side of it. Naruto grinned a little and put it with the other seven.

"Excellent, then it's time to start with the second phase." He stood up and walked in front of the table.

Naruto had grown during the last seven years, from a measly height of 3 ft. 2 to an impressive 4 ft. 5. He also ditched the old orange shirt and black shorts combo for an interesting choice in attire. He had pointy black leather boots on his feet and black dress pants. A blue shirt covered his torso, with the top two buttons open and the collar pointing upward. The sleeves were rolled to the elbows, showing a silver bracelet on his left hand with an emerald stone in it and two rings, on made of black metal and a ruby and the other of platinum and a sapphire on the ring and index fingers of his right hand, respectively. Over that there was a black vest. Around his neck was a pentagram pendant. His blond hair was slicked back and upward, from the years of running his hands through it. His eyes were as blue as always, but now, from time to time, and especially when he accessed his magic, they would take on an eerie glow.

He took the scrolls and put them in his vest pocket, shrinking them so they could fit without trouble, and walked to the same mirror he had inadvertently used to arrive all those years ago. He snapped his fingers and the glass rippled. With a grin, Naruto walked through.

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After Naruto had disappeared seven years ago, and the search for him fell through, Sarutobi moved the big mirror, which he was convinced had something to do with the boy's disappearance, to his office. Since then he would occasionally glance at it, hoping that it would somehow reveal where Naruto was hiding. No such luck was to be had, though. And, over the years, even those glances were getting fewer and far in-between.

So it came as a huge surprise when the glass of the mirror rippled and showed some kind of library with a desk for a moment, before a blond teen stepped through the mirror. The teen was wearing a confident grin on his face and, though he was dressed strangely, the old man recognized him instantly.

"Naruto!" Before the teen could blink he was enveloped in a tight hug.

"Ugh… Hey, nice to see you too, old man. How about letting me go now, huh? I still need oxygen to breathe."

"Sorry." Sarutobi rubbed the back of his hand sheepishly, but a moment after his face hardened. "Now where the hell were you?"

Naruto sighed and motioned to the Hokage's chair. "You should probably sit down; it's rather a long story."

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"Magic? You're telling me there's actually such a thing as magic."

"Yes, there is." Naruto sighed once again. The story really was quite long, and it was made even longer with the Hokage's incessant questioning, but this particular question he had already answered three time in a row.

"Magic…"

"Yes, magic!" Naruto's patience finally snapped. "Actual magic. Or did you not see me come through a blasted mirror."

"Sorry. It's just… a lot to take in. … Magic." He muttered again, gaining another sigh from Naruto.

"Now on to more immediate subjects. What shall you do with the knowledge I've given you?" Naruto leaned back in the chair he was sitting, crossed his legs and clasped his hands in front of his face, studying the Hokage.

Sarutobi had to give the boy credit, that was an important question. He leaned his chin on his hands and looked at the ceiling, deep in thought. "Is it dangerous?" He finally said.

"Everything is dangerous, some things more so than others. But magic? In the wrong, or inexperienced, hands it could be disastrous."

"How.. disastrous are we talking here?"

"Destruction of the whole of reality, for instance." Sarutobi nodded, wide-eyed at the mere thought.

"Then why did you come back? I could understand staying there to protect those secrets."

"Smart man." Naruto chuckled. "And thus we come to the point of the matter. These," He threw the eight scrolls from his pocket on the old man's desk, enlarging them on the way. "Are what I am here for, really."

"These are reports." The Hokage skimmed over them with practiced ease.

"They are. On several Ninja of your village. Well, technically speaking, only three of them are actually Ninja." He shifted in his chair, leaning forward. "I've told you of the glamour and wonder of magic, how respected it was centuries ago, when wizards were more… commonplace." The old man nodded. "That is what I want to recreate. I want to bring back magic." Naruto's grin grew. "And not just for this village. For the world. In a few years' time there will be a special summon I will be having with leaders of all the Hidden Villages in the Elemental Nations, as well as all the Daimyos. You will, of course, get an invitation." He added as an afterthought. "But I cannot do it alone. I need help. I need students, people who I will teach magic and, when they are ready, they shall in turn teach the next generation. So, in short, I would very much like to talk to these eight people, and, if they are underage, their guardians. As quickly as possible." He leaned back into his chair.

The atmosphere thickened for a while, as Sarutobi was staring right into Naruto's eyes, trying to read his intentions. Naruto's face was set in the confident smirk he had when he came, but his eyes held only seriousness in them. Finally, after what seemed like hours, the old Hokage nodded and sent Anbu for the people Naruto requested.

"You realize, of course, that, should they accept, they can no longer be Ninja."

"Of course. And you realize I will be here when you talk to them."

"Of course."

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Half an hour later the office of the Hokage was packed. Eight people stood in a semi-circle in front of the desk. Behind, the Hokage was sitting on his chair and Naruto was standing next to him, hands crossed in front of him.

"Chōji Akimichi. Anko Mitarashi. Kurenai Yūhi. Hanabi Hyūga. Shikamaru Nara. Ino Yamanaka. Hana Inuzuka. And Shino Aburame. Welcome."

"How do you know our names?" Shino asked the blond.

"BECAUSE I CAN READ MINDS!" Naruto cried out dramatically, throwing out his hands. "It's in your files." He chuckled a moment later, motioning to the pile on the desk. Everybody sweat-dropped at him.

"So why are we here, huh brat?" Anko asked, a sadistic grin on her face.

"Now that wasn't very nice, was it?" Naruto raised an eyebrow. "I am here to extend you an offer. I asked to talk with you and your guardians about a… special class I have chosen the eight of you for."

"What would they be learning?" Shikamaru's dad, Shikaku, asked.

"Now that I cannot tell. All I can, is that it will be more than anything any of you are capable of imagining."

"I don't know, I've got a pretty big imagination." Ino's father remarked.

"Trust me, Inoichi." Naruto chuckled. "All you Ninja tricks are but a party favor in comparison."

"Really?" The Hyūga head mumbled in thought.

"Oh yes. But, and I do hate do dampen your excitement, they will only be allowed to teach those I have approved of."

"And why is it that you have such control over these… secrets?" The Hyūga asked with a slight snear.

"Because I am their keeper, Hyūga." Naruto's surroundings seemed to darken as he spat out. "You would do well to respect that. But I have heard enough of you. Your incessant interruptions are preventing you daughter from speaking. The person I've chosen." He turned to Hanabi. "What say you, my dear?"

The ten-year-old girl looked at her father for a moment. "Why have you chosen me? Why not my sister? Or my cousin?"

"Ah. I'm afraid your sister, although in possession of a large heart, hasn't the… temperament to embrace my teachings. As for your cousin, as he is now, he would only misuse them in his own gain, and at the harm of one-half of your family. No, although I foresee a change for him in the future, he is nowhere near yet. I do have to point out, though." He turned to all of them at that. "That, should you choose to accept, you will never be able to return to being Ninja again. In fact, I am not sure you would be able to access your chakra at all."

"Then why should we accept?" Kurenai spoke up for the first time. "Why should we sacrifice our dreams for something we have no idea about?"

"My dear, what I am offering is the most wondrous thing you could imagine, and, in a few years' time, the whole world will know it. You have a chance to become some of the most powerful individuals in existence. But it is your choice, of course. Do keep in mind that you eight _were _my first pick. I would not have chosen you if I did not think you had great potential."

"They have power?" Hiashi butted in.

"No, Hyūga. Not yet, at least. _Potential_." He turned to the Akimichi pair. "Have you decided, Chōji Akimichi." The plump teen looked at his father.

"I'm sorry dad, but I've never thought I'd be a good Ninja. To hear that someone has so much faith in me…"

"It's alright, son." The big man smiled and patted the boy on the head. "You can go." Chōji hugged his father and went to stand behind Naruto.

"Anko Mitarashi?" The woman had a thoughtful look for a moment.

"Will this power you're offering be enough for me to take my revenge on… someone." Her hand grasped her shoulder. Naruto made a note of that.

"Yes. But I must warn you, revenge is a hard path to take. If you do not temper it, it could lead you astray." She nodded and went beside Chōji. "Kurenai Yūhi?" The woman looked at her friend and, without a word, stood next to her, grasping her hand gently.

"You'd better not try something."

"Not to worry." Naruto chuckled. "Hanabi Hyūga."

"She will not be…" Hiashi started, but was interrupted by his daughter.

"I can speak for myself, father. And if I go, then Hinata can become Clan Head, and fix our family. Give her my love, father." She went to the others.

"Shikamaru Nara?"

"Troublesome. Sorry, pop, but I have to go with my best friend."

"Yeah, yeah. Your mother is going to kill me." The older Nara muttered. "Troublesome."

"Ino Yamanaka?"

"Are you sure I can't tell anyone." She pouted at him.

"Quite sure. For the foreseeable future, at least." He chuckled at her.

"But there's this boy here, and…"

"Ah, yes… Sasuke, was it?" She nodded. "I am afraid, my dear, that he is quite unworthy of attention from such a rare… flower." She blushed a little at his words, but fixed him with a glare.

"Look here, buster, Sasuke is-" He cut her off with a wave.

"If you are so set on him, why not take my offer and show off to him when you are done with training." Naruto sighed.

"Fine. But you better deliver on your promise."

"Princess-" Her father started.

"Sorry, daddy." She kissed his cheek and ran to the others. "But I gotta go."

"Hana Inuzuka?" The feral woman, who was completely silent during the conversation, looked at him.

"Are there dogs allowed?"

"Indeed." Naruto chuckled. "They will, of course, be your responsibility, but I do not forbid pets or companions. In fact, it is customary for a…." He trailed off, stopping himself mid-sentence. "Ah, almost spoiled the surprise." He chided himself with a small smile. "And, finally, Shino Aburame." The bespectacled boy looked at his father, who only gave a small nod. Shino quietly stood with the rest. "Excellent. That's everybody, then. I shall take the liberty of informing your mother." He nodded to Hana, who gave him a grateful smile. "Old man, I shall leave the mirror as a way for you to communicate with me. When I am available, the gem at the top will glow, and you only need approach the mirror and speak into it. It will be as if we are in the same room."

"Thanks, Naruto." The Hokage smiled at him. "Don't be a stranger, huh?"

"Of course not. But now you must excuse me, I have to show my students the Academy." He snapped his fingers and a purple circle appeared beneath the group, filled with runes and symbols. A moment later, in front of gawking parents and a very interested Hokage, they vanished.

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**This is quickly becoming one of my favorite stories. I'll probably write at least three chapters today. For some reason, I can't stop.**

**Next chapter there will be some explanations of schools and magic, a tour of the Academy, but after that will be a 3-year Timeskip. All further lessons will be done via flashback, which will allow me to answer any questions you have about magic and whatnot.**


	3. Chapter 3

A purple ring appeared on the ground and the group materialized in a hall. It was huge, with winding staircases on all walls. The side walls both had three leading up and two leading down. The back wall had only two, also leading up, but there were three large doors there as well. The front wall had two archways showing a beautiful garden, surrounding another suitcase leading up. The ceiling was very big, there were large candlesticks framing each of the staircases, but the only this on the floor were nine circles, each in front of one staircase.

"What the heck?" Ino shrieked, making everybody wince.

"Dammit, troublesome woman, you'll make us all deaf."

"Sorry. But seriously, what the heck was that."

"Magic, my dear." Naruto grinned, standing in one of the circles, the one with a single staircase behind it. "That is what I will be teaching you. Welcome to the Academia Arcana!" He gave them a bow as all the candles in the room burst into life, illuminating the hall.

"Magic? Real magic?" Hana looked perplexed, a look shared by the other two older women. The teens and Hanabi had a look of amazement instead. Well, Shino probably had one. It was really har to tell.

"Yes, real magic. We did just teleport here after all." Naruto chuckled. "You all have accepted the honor, and the privilege, to become wizards, mages, sorcerers, however you want to call it, of the new generation. For millennia the magics of the world slumbered, but I have awakened them, and chose you eight to pass the secrets onto. And one day, when you're ready, you will take students of your own. Magic will live again!" Everybody clapped at his speech. "Now that that's over with, the first matter we must address is one of Schools."

"Schools? Aren't we in one?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow."

"No. We are in the Academia. These are the Schools." He motioned to the nine circles. "Well School symbols, but still. Now, I will go in circle, from my left to right, and when I describe the School and call your name, you will stand in the circle." He snapped his fingers and the circle he was sitting in started glowing. "Oh, just a simple cantrip, you will be able to do so much more when I am through with you." He chuckled at their looks. "First of, have the Generalist. It's not a School, really, but an absence of one. What that means." He elaborated at their perplexed looks. "Is that no spells are unavailable for a Generalist. You see, each of the other Schools has an opposing, prohibited one, from which you are simply unable to learn spells. I have sent servants to observe you and catalogue you movements, reactions, and so forth." He ignored the look he got from Kurenai. "And I have chosen you each a School that I feel will be perfect for you. Abjuration." He snapped his fingers again, and the circle on his left lit up. "Is the School focusing on shielding the caster from magical or physical attack. Shino Aburame." He motioned to the circle. The bespectacled teen took his place with a nod.

"You have chosen wisely, Sensei."

"Commendable, but ultimately wrong. My official title is Archmage of Academia Arcana, the leader of the place, seeing as how I am the first to get the Academia running. While we are studying and practicing, I shall be your Master and you my Apprentices. Otherwise, I will only insist on my title in serious situations or if foreign dignitaries are present. Otherwise, you are free to just call me Naruto. I am still quite young." He snapped his fingers again. "Conjuration. The School focuses on bringing creatures to the caster, usually in the form of summoned allies. Hana Inuzuka." She grinned and stepped into the circle. "Divination." Another snap. "The School that allows her student to look forward into time and anticipate what will happen next. Although mostly used for information gathering, it has some spells that help the caster in combat. Ino Yamanaka." Ino smiled at him and skipped to her circle. "Enchantment. The spells of this School allow casters to gain control of another creature, or imbue a recipient with special properties. Shikamaru Nara."

"You really do know us. This doesn't sound all that troublesome." The lazy teen slowly moved to his circle.

"Evocation." Naruto chuckled. "The spells of this School manipulate energy or create something from nothing. Most of the best offensive spells can be found within this School of Magic. Hanabi Hyūga."

"I agree with your assessment, Master." She took her place with a graceful nod.

"Thank you my dear. Illusion. The School that alters perception to create images of unreal things, or to disguise real things. Kurenai Yūhi."

"Thank you, Master." She gave him a small bow and stood I her circle.

"Necromancy. The School with the power to manipulate, create and destroy life. Anko Mitarashi."

"Yeah, I got the best School! Suck that, Pedo-snake. You're going down!" Naruto chuckled at her exuberant personality and Kurenai shook her head with an amused smile.

"And finally, Transmutation. The School with spells that transform the recipient or his environment, either subtly or obviously. Chōji Akimichi." The plump teen nodded and took his place. "That's all. Are there any questions before we proceed?"

"Yeah, I got one." Shikamaru raised his hand. "What are we now?"

"I have told you already, Apprentices, what are you… Oh, of course, how silly of me to forget. There are five levels of skill. The first is Apprentice. At that level I will be watching all your exercises and experiments, since you are still new to magic, and can very likely destroy all life as we know it." The students shared a look of unease, which Naruto completely ignored. "When I feel you're ready, I will give you a rest. Should you pass it, you will be upgraded to the status of Sorcerer. At that point, you will still be studying under me, although with much more freedom to experiment and learn on your own. I will also be sending you on some tasks after that point. Later, and after another test, you will become Wizards. It is at this point that you will stop being students, and become Mages in your own right. It is also at this point you can start taking students, although most tend to wait until the next step, but I am afraid I must insist." Everybody nodded at that, understanding. "Afterward, you will gain the level of Mage. The tasks I will be sending you on will, of course, grow in difficulty along with you. The final level is High Mage, my current level. It is at this point that I would normally choose the best among each School of Magic to become the head teachers, with the title of Grandmaster of their chosen School. But seeing as how I am very short on manpower, you will gain that title when you reach the level of Wizard. Understood?" Nods. "Excellent. The next item on the agenda is unlocking your mana. Sit down, lotus position." He paused a moment to allow everyone to follow his instructions. He walked into the middle of the circles, standing in the center of another, larger, rune on the floor. "You all know how to access your chakra, and that will help us greatly. Without that, this could take days. Focus on your chakra, on that large pool of energy that rests inside of you." His voice was soothing to the meditating students. "And immerse yourself in it." All eight of them started glowing. "Nicely done. Now, one last part. As the power is surging through your system, speak the words 'Accesso Arcanum'. Accesso Arcanum." He repeated the words, and soon after the others started muttering them, louder and louder. "Accesso Arcanum. Accesso Arcanum."

"ACCESSO ARCANUM!" They yelled and were enveloped by a soft blue glow that shot up. The runes on the floor reacted and changed the color of the glows. Purple for Shino, dark orange for Hana, dark blue for Ino, green for Shikamaru, black for Hanabi, light blue for Kurenai, red for Anko, and brown for Chōji.

"Excellent. You can get up now. You have unlocked your magic. Congratulations." They got up shakily.

"Master." Hanabi called.

"Yes?"

"I can't turn on my Byakugan."

"Ah. I was afraid of that." Naruto said sadly. "I am afraid that you have, indeed, lost access to you chakra, and with it, any bloodlines you possessed. I am sorry."

"Don't be." Hanabi said. "This is better. Stronger. I feel…"

"Yes, much the same reaction I had when I unlocked my mana. I will give you a moment to collect yourselves, and to memorize your staircases." He motioned around the room. "After that, follow me." He turned on his heel and walked up the lone stairway behind him, hands clasped behind his back.

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Ten minutes later they found him leaning on the wall up the staircase.

"This is the Hall of Generalists." He greeted them. "All School Halls are the same, so I will be using this one t show you." He stood up and started walking in a slow pace. "To my left is the School Library. It only contains books and scrolls to do with your respective School, so if you want anything else you will have to go to the Main Library. On my right is the classroom you will be using to unlock the mana of your future students, and to teach them. It will expand and contract to accommodate the number of students, like all other rooms in the Academia. Next are the male." He motioned to his left. "And female apprentice barrack." To the right. "Normally you would be sleeping here." One of the doors opened to show several bunk beds and a dresser besides each. "But I think it's better to just give you the Grandmaster chambers." They gave off a grateful sigh, making him chuckle. "Next are the Sorcerer barracks." The door opened again, showing single beds, more luxurious then the Apprentice barracks. They were also separated by walls into something resembling cubicles. Each one had drawers and a closet. He continued walking and took a right into a narrower hallway. The left side of it had five doors, and the right three. "And now we come to single rooms. The Wizard quarters on the left, and Mage quarters on the right. Same on the female side of the hallway." The Wizard rooms had beds, dressers, closets and desks for work, along with a small bookcase. The Mage quarters had a similar thing, only more luxurious. He continued walking; passing the stairway that was at the end of the hallway and motioning to two doors on either side of a third. "High Mage quarters." Desk, bed, dresser, wardrobe and a full-length mirror. "The door in the middle leads to a supplies closet. You will have to clean after yourselves until you learn how to 'summon the help.' "He chuckled, leading them up the solitary stairway.

This room was better than all others. A very large, four poster beds. Some portraits. Antique dressers, wardrobe and desk, along with a lot of bookcases. And a comfortable-looking recliner and couch in front of a fireplace.

"Each room has a corresponding bathroom of course. Back to the hall we go."

"Couldn't you have just teleported us here?" Shikamaru asked when they climbed down.

"Of course I could have. But you need the exercise, believe me." He chuckled. "Just a few more stops left. The archways behind me lead to the Gardens. You are free to explore them whenever you want, provided we are not studying. And you can work in them, if you so desire." He grinned at Ino's grateful smile. "The first pair of stairways leading down lead to the Mess Hall. Food will be waiting for you there when you get up, during lunch time, and dinner. Anything in-between you will have to handle yourselves." He grabbed the hem of Chōji's shirt. "Now, now, not yet. You can go there tomorrow for breakfast, it's getting late and I've still to finish. The next pair of staircases lead to the Main Library. All the knowledge you will ever require is stored there. The three large doors at the end lead to the main entrance, but you can see that some other day." He smiled at them and walked into the center of the big rune on the floor.

"What's that?" Kurenai asked?

"A teleportation rune, leading to my chambers."

"Aren't you going to show it to us, too?" Hanabi gave him a sad look, earning her another chuckle.

"My, you are amusing. Tell you what, when you learn how to activate the rune, you are welcome to visit. But for now… Magnus!" A rumble came from the Mess Hall staircases and a big, humanoid shadow appeared. It stepped into the light to reveal a tall creature made of metal. "This is Magnus, a metal golem. Just one of many interesting things you will be able to do by the end. If you need anything, feel free to call him."

"You called, Master?" It spoke in a deep, gravelly voice.

"Yes, make sure our new residents have hot water and that the beds in the Grandmaster quarters are made." The golem bowed and took off. "Don't worry, he won't take too long. Go, sleep. I will expect you at 8 am sharp, standing in your places." He motioned to the symbols on the ground. "And I will not tolerate tardiness." He shot a look at Shikamaru. "So, good night, and once again. Welcome to your future." He snapped his fingers and, in a flash of white light, he was gone.

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**I hope the tour wasn't too confusing. I imagined it in my head, but when it came time to write it out, it didn't go over so smoothly.**

**What do you think of the School choices? They seemed to fit for me.**

**Ask anything about magic you want, and I will answer it in the form of flashbacks at the beginning of the chapters. But after chapter five, I have something planned for no. 4.**


	4. Chapter 4

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_-Lesson 1: Familiar-_

"_So what are they?" Hana asked. The group was seated in one of the classrooms within the Academia. Naruto decided on alternating the Halls each day. And that day it was Conjuration._

"_A familiar is, well basically any creature that has been summoned and bound to service by a sorcerer or wizard, after which it becomes a magical beast and gains new power. They are magically linked to their master, and have special abilities. Today, you are going to learn how to make one."_

"_Which one do you have, Master?" Hanabi asked him. Naruto grinned and, in a flash of white light, a raven appeared on his shoulder, although it wasn't a normal, everyday bird. It was slightly larger than a normal one, and ash-white, and its wings had a wispy air on them._

"_My dear Apprentices, allow me to introduce you to Arcturus, my familiar." The bird cawed and flapped his wings, pecking Naruto's hair gently in greeting._

"_Why is he white?" Naruto and the bird exchanged a look._

"_It was due to a… failed spell I tried before I was ready. His feathers lost all color, but he did gain a higher intelligence level than normal familiars. And there's also…" The bird took off and started flying, aiming right at Chōji. The red-haired teen shifted uncomfortably, looking at the bird that had no intention of stopping. Just as it was about to slam into him full force, it turned wraith-like and flew directly through the teen, giving him a cold chill but nothing else. "We have come to call that 'ghosting'. We consider it a fair trade." The raven flew back to Naruto's shoulder, cawing in agreement. "But now let's continue the lesson. Acquiring a familiar. The prospective master must locate the kind of creature desired. That can be done from simply visiting a shop at the nearest village, to going out spelunking trying to find the perfect animal. After acquisition, the master must arrange to keep the familiar nearby for the day-long ritual that binds the two together. Wise masters choose familiars that are friendly enough not to wander off, but sometimes the creatures have to be caged. As for the rituals, there are various kinds, ranging from a few gestures and chants to some drawing sketched on the floor around the pair – all repeated necessarily at intervals throughout the day. The ritual will fail, and do take a special note of this, if the intended familiar is hostile or unfriendly to the master, or has been charmed into amiability in any way." He paused for a moment to allow questions._

"_What kind of animal can be chose?" Shino asked, adjusting his glasses._

"_Any kind, really. There are some creatures that have been considered… custom for a wizard to have, and so have been used frequently before, but anything can do. Yes, including insects." Naruto answered the teen's unasked question. Shino nodded and sat back down._

"_Next, the empathic link. Familiars and their masters share an empathic link with one another that allows them to communicate, albeit in a limited capacity, at a distance of up to 1 mile. As your skill grows, there is a chance that the distance will, as well. Only general emotional contact, such as fear or curiosity, can be communicated. Also, seeing as how familiars naturally see the world in a different light from their masters, some misunderstanding in translation is always possible. That is one of the thing that will take time and effort to perfect. While not hampered by line-of-sight, the link is a supernatural ability, so it ceases to function in an antimagic field; it also does not cross planar boundaries. This link makes the familiar an extension of the master's being, which means that when a familiar has been somewhere or experienced something, the master has the same connection to it as the familiar has."_

"_What happens when the link is broken? Does the familiar turn back into a wild animal?" Ino asked._

"_No, of course not. That would be both stupid, and highly problematic. The familiar returns to the plane it was summoned from." He waved his hand and Arcturus disappeared in a flash of white light. "Of course, there are penalties when the link is violently broken."_

"_Such as?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow._

"_You see, the familiar is unable to actually, physically die. When it sustains enough damage, it will simply disappear. You will take some damage, and won't be able to summon it again until the next day, but it will be good as new then. The same happens when the link is broken by someone else."_

"_And how do you… send it back?" The next question came from Anko._

"_Yes, I was coming to that. The final part of the lesson, dismissal. Sometimes, a master will wish to be rid of a familiar, usually because they have suffered some debilitating injury, or because the master simply wishes to acquire a new creature. To dismiss a familiar, the master simply wills it so, breaking the link that binds the two. Immediately on being dismissed, the familiar loses all abilities and becomes a normal creature of its kind, returning to life as such while suffering no ill effects, with the exception that it will likely be unable to remember most of what it experienced as a familiar. But I don't recommend you do this."_

"_Why not?" Kurenai asked._

"_Although it has no ill effect on either the caster or creature, the act of breaking the bond is… well, it's difficult to explain, but I will try. The familiar is supposed to be your friend, ally and companion. You are supposed to build a bond of trust and acceptance even before the bonding. In the past, only the evil wizards and arrogant morons would change familiars when not completely necessary. OK?" he finished weakly. His students nodded and his mood brightened. "Excellent, now, if you would."_

"_They followed him out the classroom and down the stairs, to the Main Hall, in front of the teleportation rune circle that lead to his chambers. He snapped his fingers and the circle changed in a flash of light. "There, that will lead you to the Hokage's office. I have already spoken to him, so he is apprised of the situation. I have your very first task." Their faces changed to looks that were half-excited and half-anxious. "Oh, do not worry, I wouldn't send you on this little trip alone if I thought it was dangerous in the least. You will go out into the world and choose a creature to be your familiar. There is no time limit on this, so take care to choose the perfect animal. Good luck." He motioned to the circle. The eight students filed out quickly, leaving only Hana with him._

"_Can we take more than one animal? Like say…"_

"_Three?" He chuckled at her nod. "Yes. Granted, it is highly difficult, but a scroll will be awaiting you in your room. Just note that thrice the familiars mean thrice the benefit, but also thrice the danger. If, say, they are to die, you will take significantly more damage than the rest of your fellow students." She nodded. "Also, the creatures must be of the same species, and it will be best if they had the same blood." She thanked him and left. A white light flashed and Arcturus re-appeared on his shoulder. "Think they'll be fine?" The bird cawed. "Yes, I know I worry too much, but…" Another caw. "Yes, I suppose you're right, the enchantments will inform me should something happen. But just in case…" The bird spread its wings and ghosted through the wall and away from the Academia._

_-End of Part 1 of Lesson 1-_

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Three years. At times, the students barely noticed the time pass them by as they learned amazing things from Naruto. And sometimes they couldn't wait for the training to be over so they could get away from the unforgiving taskmaster.

Naruto was a wonderful teacher, patient and calm, but he expected much in return. Discipline, commitment, and above all discipline. After a few mistakes, and a few harsh punishments, they quickly learned to listen to everything he said.

Of course, he didn't tell them _everything_.

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_-Flashback – 2 Weeks after Arrival-_

_Ino hummed happily as she descended from the Hall of Divination stairway and headed for the two alcoves on the far side of the Main Hall. Although Naruto had said she was free to work in the Gardens if she wanted, she wasn't able to find the time for the first for weeks living at the Academy. So she was really looking forward to the day off their Master had given them. She gasped when she cleared the decorated arches._

_The Gardens were beautiful. Two paths from the archways lead to an open circle with a beautiful fountain in the middle, with four vines entangled in the middle, and black, red, blue and green water coming from each, meeting in the basin and returning to its colorless form. Four benches were positioned around the fountain, each looking at one of the faucets, and each matching the watercolor. Above each of them was a Japanese maple tree, with the branches grown to lean over the benches._

_Two brooks were framing the pathways, coming from the wall, and leading to a small pond beyond the fountain. A beautiful, twisted and very big tree grew halfway out of the water._

_Surrounding the open circle was roughly an acre of land covered with all kinds of plants and flowers. She recognized the ones she saw on the left; roses, tulips, pretty standard stuff. The ones on the right she had never seen before. She guessed that they were magical plants._

_And finally, beyond the pool there was a mile of open space._

_And then nothing._

"_GAAAAAAH!"_

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"_GAAAAAAH!"_

_Shikamaru was climbing the stairs from the Main Library, carrying so many books he couldn't even see where he was walking, when the Yamanaka's scream startled him, making him drop them all to the ground. Grumbling about troublesome women, he decided to leave the books there for the moment and see what all the fuss was about._

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_Walking to the open plain in the Gardens he stood next to the gaping Ino and looked in front of him. He raised an eyebrow at the sight._

"_Huh, that's new."_

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_Chōji was spending his free day in the Mess Hall, catching up to all the meals that he skipped over the weeks. Naruto had explained to him that, seeing as how he was unable to use chakra anymore he didn't need to bulk up on calories. But still, a habit's a habit._

_So he was finishing off his third sandwich for the meal when the scream echoed through the room, making him choke on a piece of tomato. He coughed it up and stood, taking his food with him, to see why somebody was interrupting his snack time._

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_He arrived just as Shikamaru made his clever observation. He stopped on Ino's other side and took a bite from the sandwich, munching it slowly. He swallowed the food with a loud and dramatic gulp._

"_Strange. Something's missing." He noted before taking another bite._

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_Since losing his chakra, Shino found it slightly more difficult to communicate with insects, as if his skills in that area were rusty. Still, he welcomed the challenge. He was sad, though, that losing his chakra meant losing the hive he had grown up with, but, logically speaking, he had to get over it. Granted, it wasn't as easy as that._

_With that in mind, he decided to spend his day in the Gardens, looking through the plants and honing his insect communication skills. He saw Ino pass him without even a glance, to which he gave a small, hidden pout. He wasn't invisible, dammit. Yet. With that thought he turned back to the buzzing._

_He was shaken out of that yet again by the blonde's scream_

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_He quietly shuffled to the slowly growing group, standing behind Ino and Chōji. He peered over their shoulders for a moment._

"_Hm… Interesting."_

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_Hanabi Hyūga was in the Main Library, looking over the books on teleportation. Ever since Naruto had said they could come up to his chambers if they figured out how to activate the circle, she had taken it as a personal challenge, trying her hardest to impress her cute Master. She blushed a little before shaking the thought off and climbing higher up the bookcase, coming to the very top._

_Suddenly, Ino's shriek startled her and she lost her grip, falling down to the floor on her butt. She did her best impersonation of a grumble she had heard her father used and headed up to scold the older girl about screaming like that._

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_She came up behind Ino and Shikamaru with her best approximation of a scowl on her face. Pausing for a moment, she decided she needed practice on the 'grown-up expressions'. I mean, Master wasn't much older than her and he could pull them off effortlessly. Maybe it had something to do with that pendant he wore. She liked it._

_Shaking off the thought, she opened her mouth to scold the other blonde, but the words were caught there when her pupil-less eyes fell on the sight in front of them. She had to use all her Hyūga training to keep from yelling in shock._

"…_Wow." Was the only response she managed to articulate._

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_Hana was happily snoring the morning away in her bed in the Hall of Conjuration. She didn't have anything against Naruto's teaching style, she thought it was pretty good, in fact, but this waking up early thing he liked so much was getting on her nerves. It had to go._

_Interrupting her dreams of running, fields and bones, something she blamed her Inuzuka heritage for, was the same loud yell that startled everyone else in the tower. She stretched her arms above her head, with a half-pouting half-annoyed look and went to find whatever the hell was yelling at shut it up, still in an oversized t-shirt and shorts._

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_Fixing her best cross look on her face she marched to the field at the end of the Gardens, fully intent on giving whoever was yelling that early in the morning a very stern scolding. Well, it was after noon, but still, the principle counted._

_Her much-deserved admonishment stopped before it could even begin._

"_Holy shit!"_

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_Kurenai and Anko were spending the day together, curled up on the couch in Kurenai's room, each at one of its ends. The purple haired woman grinned slyly and, looking at the fire in the fireplace, scooted closer._

_Kurenai gave a small smile on the other side and did the same, putting her hand on Anko's lap. Just as the two started leaning, the shriek happened._

_The two oldest students shared a look and decided to put a hold on their previous activities and see what was going on outside._

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_Coming down, and standing on either side of Hana, finishing off the group, they looked at what everyone was gawking. Anko grinned and Kurenai raised an eyebrow._

"_That's so awesome!" The purple haired woman yelled, getting a giggle from her raven-haired companion._

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_Naruto was sitting on his windowsill, looking up at the few clouds in the sky, a thoughtful look on his face, and absentmindedly stroking his raven's head. He was really proud of the progress his students were showing within mere two weeks of studying. So proud, in fact, that he decided to give them a day off, something he had never done. Still, no reason to help their egos along. He kept quiet about the reasons._

_He was jerked from his thoughts by the scream of his blonde student. Looking down after a moment, he let out a chuckle at the group that gathered there. Deciding to join in, he vanished in a flash of light._

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"_Hello my dear students. What's going on?" All heads snapped to him with varying looks on their faces, making him chuckle again. Damn, he did that a lot around these guys._

"_What do you mean 'what's going on'!" Ino shrieked at him, gaining a raised eyebrow and amused grin in response. "What the heck is that?" She pointed to the ground in front of the group. Or, rather, lack of ground._

"_Air?" He supplied, making her give a yell of frustration. "Alright, alright." He chuckled, raising his hands in surrender. "I forgot to tell you, we're floating on a magical island hundreds of feet in the air."_

_And they were. The open plain ended abruptly, almost as if cut off. There was absolutely nothing after that. You couldn't even see the ground._

"_That's what I'm talking about. How is this even possible?"_

"_Magic?" Naruto was getting more amused by the moment._

"_So, what's all that white?" Shikamaru, tired of yelling, and seeing Naruto had no intention of stopping the other blond from getting a nervous breakdown, butted in with a question, letting Ino cool down a bit._

"_Clouds." Naruto said simply. "That's why there's so few up there."_

"_Couldn't you have lowered the island a little? I like watching clouds." The Nara whined._

"_Think of it as incentive for learning how to make your own." Naruto grinned._

"_Damn troublesome Master."_

"_That's so awesome. How'd you do that?" Anko all but yelled in his ear, fighting Kurenai, who had her arms wrapped around her midriff, trying to keep her from assaulting their teacher._

"_Eh, that's a little over your level at the moment." Naruto chuckled sheepishly. "Let's just say it must've taken a while."_

"_Must have?" Shino raised an eyebrow._

"_I didn't make the Academia, you know. I probably could." He added as an afterthought. "But it was like this when I found it." He gave them a moment to take it all in. "Come on, you have your last free day for who knows how long. I don't think you want to spend it staring down. You could get dizzy." With that, he teleported back to his study, letting his students slowly go back to what they were doing before._

_-Flashback End-_

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It took Ino a while to get over the 'whole flying in the air all the time' thing, but she eventually did. She still wouldn't go within ten feet of the ledge, even though Naruto told her it was impossible to actually fall down.

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Naruto was looking over a scroll Kaji had brought him in his study, rubbing his chin in though. Arcturus was resting comfortably on his golden perch by the window. Suddenly the gem above his mirror flashed, and Sarutobi appeared.

"Hey, Naruto, are you there?"

"I'm here old man." He stood up and walked in front of the glass.

"Good. Tell me; are your students available for missions yet?" They had talked about this a few times in the past. Naruto firmly stated that Apprentices would not be allowed to go on any tasks except those he explicitly supervised. Sarutobi tried arguing with him, but it was no use, he had no choice but to listen to Naruto.

Fortunately for him, all Naruto's students had advanced to the level of Sorcerer. "They are, but only the Journeyman level quests." The two had classified the missions the Mages might get sent on. Journeyman level corresponded with Ninja B and A-Ranked missions. Next was the Expert level, corresponding with S-Ranked missions. And finally there was the Artisan level, which was used for all unknown situations. Naruto was hesitant about the unknown; he still hadn't managed to map out all the movements of magical races throughout the millennia.

They had also discussed the rates. Five hundred, one thousand and fifteen hundred gold pieces, respectively. Sarutobi still had no idea why Naruto insisted on being paid in gold. "Of course, I remember. It just so happens that I sent out two new teams on a C-Ranked mission less than a week ago. I just got a message from one of the Jōnin that the client lied about the level, and the mission was upgraded to A-Rank. None of my Genin are up to that skill level, and there are only two Jōnin, who have to not only keep an eye on the client, but their students as well. So, what do you say?"

"Hm…" Naruto rubbed his chin in though. "Yes, I think it's time to start with Phase Three. The slow introduction of magic into the modern world." He elaborated at the Hokage's look. "I'll even let you select the Mages you want. Payment upon completion." The old man nodded.

"Well, the teams I sent were Team 7, consisting of Sasuke Uchiha, Sakura Haruno, Hinata Hyūga and Kiba Inuzuka." Naruto raised an eyebrow. "There was an extra Gennin. You stole the rest from me." The two shared a chuckle. "And Team 9 consisting of Neji Hyūga, Tenten and Rock Lee. The Senseis are Kakashi Hatake and Might Guy."

"I see… Two Hyūga and an Inuzuka. May I venture a guess of Hanabi and Hana at the very least?"

"Well, yes, but I want them all."

"All?" Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"You want to show the world what they can do? Word spreads fast in this village, and seeing their old friends like that…."

"Good point." Naruto nodded his head.

"Are you available?"

"Sadly, and I would love to stretch my legs a little, I have other matters to attend to. I will be watching over them, however, and should they find themselves in trouble, I won't be long. I'll send them to you as soon as they get ready." The old man nodded and left. "Arcturus." The bird raised his head and looked at him, before nodding and ghosting trough the floor.

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**Wow, that's long. I really wanted to put the familiar lesson in one chapter, but it was already over 1000 words long, so I decided to split it. I already have the animals picked out, but I really want to see everybody try to guess. I wanted to write another chapter today, but it's already almost 5 am and I'm tired, so tomorrow will have to do.**

**I planned on a Kurenai/Anko romance from the start, so I decided to stop trying to be subtle. You'll note that they were holding hands in the last chapter for a moment. In fact, I'll have a pairing for every student, but I'll need suggestions. I'm thinking Shikamaru/Ino, but I'm drawing blanks on Hana, Chōji and Shino. Hanabi, in case there's anybody that still doesn't get it, is going with Naruto.**

**Did you like the Gardens? I tried describing them as best as I could.**


	5. Chapter 5

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_-Lesson 1: Acquiring a Familiar-_

_Hana appeared last in the Hokage's office and, greeting the old man, went straight to her family compound._

_The houses of the compound weren't as big as the ones of some of the other clans, but there was a lot more open space for the dogs to run in. And the owners._

_Walking into the main room she hugged her mother Tsume, who was sitting there, waiting for her._

"_The Hokage told me you would be coming by today."_

"_Hi mom, how've you been?"_

"_Good. It's been a little lonely here without you, and your brother has been bitching for some time about not being chosen for the 'super awesome training'. You left them behind." Her face hardened and her tone steeled._

"_I did." Hana said with regret. "I couldn't pack anything before going, and this is the first time we've been sent out from the Academia. How are they? Did you take care of them?"_

"_They're fine. They were hurt when you left, but they got over it. In time. Now they're really excited to see you again." Numerous thumps were heard coming from outside. "Speaking of which." Three grey blurs impacted with Hana, toppling her to the ground, and three wet tongues assaulted her face._

"_Hey, hey, all right." She laughed, hugging her three dogs to her. "I missed you too, guys." The three dogs barked and nuzzled into her hug. "Come on, this time you're coming with me." Tsume got a bag and threw it to her daughter._

"_Here, there's some food there. It won't last long, but you can probably get more at that 'Academia' of yours. Bye honey." She kissed the tattooed cheeks. "Be safe."_

"_I will. Say hi to Kiba for me." She exited the house and went to the teleport circle in the office._

_With a satisfied caw, Arcturus took off from a branch he was using as a perch in front of the compound, and headed for his Master's next student._

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_Hana appeared in the Main Hall in a flash of dark orange light. Naruto was standing there, next to her door._

"_Well, that was fast. Step through, and good luck." The woman and her three dogs entered the special room._

_It took her the entire day to scan over the scroll on the triple ritual Naruto had left. And another day for the ritual to complete._

_Her dogs were great. They laid next to her at all times, just enjoying the closeness, and did exactly as told when the ritual came._

_The magic of the bonding process changed her dogs. The fur turned a dark, rust orange color. The left brother, named Ash, had a golden ring on his right ear and a blue half-moon shape over his right eye. The center brother, Cinder, had a ring in each ear and the same half-moon shape over his forehead, angling downward. The final brother, Ember, had the golden ring in his left ear and the half-moon over his left eye. They also grew in height, reaching up to her abdomen._

"_Are you guys ok?" She got three deeper barks in return, and smiled, hugging he dogs again. "Come on, time to go back._

_Naruto was still waiting for her outside the room. He smiled when he saw the changes to the three dogs._

"_You did it." He said. "Feel free to leave them out in the Academia if you want, just remember what I told you about the dangers. It's better for you to unsummon them if you have the choice." She nodded. "Congratulations, Sorceress." He chuckled when she hugged him._

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_Chōji left the Hokage's office and, saying goodbye to his two best friends Ino and Shikamaru, went towards his clan compound to say hi to his parents._

_Both his mother and father were waiting for him, enveloping him in a crushing hug as soon as he entered the house. After a few moments of catching up they took a step back to look over him._

"_My boy you look great." His father, Chōza, said. "A little thin around the waist there, though." Chōji must've lost at least 30 pounds during the time has was at the Academy._

"_Oh my poor baby. Has that man been starving you?"_

"_What? No, mom. Calm down. Master gives us three meals a day, as much as we can eat. And I'm pretty sure he knows I sneak in the Mess Hall at nights. It's just that the… Things he's teaching us burn up a lot of calories, and he's been keeping us very busy."_

"_Oh. Ok. Just make sure you eat regularly." His mother smiled. "Growing boys need their food."_

"_So why are you here?" Chōza asked. "I'm sure your training isn't over just yet."_

"_My training will never be over. Naruto said that a… we are always learning, the only thing that changes is the ease and the amount."_

"_A smart man." Chōza nodded. "So what do you need?"_

"_I'm looking for an animal for a… well, let's call it a pet."_

"_Well our clan symbol has always been a butterfly."_

"_Yeah, I know, but I don't think the butterfly exactly has the qualities I need. I need something that won't be so easy to kill, something that could help me when I need it."_

"_Hm, I think I know just the thing. But you'll have to go to the edge of the desert to find it. And trust me, you will know." Chōji nodded and left, thanking his parents._

_It took him a whole day and night to reach the desert at the borders to Suna. When he got there he immediately found what he was looking for. It was big, grey and with large tusks. An elephant._

_A few hours spent calming down the giant beasts so they wouldn't stampede all over him, he found the perfect target. A young elephant that had small tusks, just beginning to grow. It was slightly fatter than the others, even eating at that moment. He grinned and went over to it._

_It didn't take him as much time as he'd though to gain the elephant's confidence. A lot of food was involved, however. It was nearly dusk when the elephant finally agreed to go with him. Chōji climbed on top of it, but then stopped in realization._

"_How the hell are we going to fit inside the Hokage's office!" With that, he disappeared in a flash of light._

_Arcturus ruffled his feathers from a nearby rock and left to find the next student, glad to be out of the desert heat._

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"_Well that really is… something." Naruto muttered, looking up at the elephant. "You know he's not done growing? You will have to do something about that, but for now…" He snapped his fingers and the door enlarged, becoming big enough for the young elephant to pass through. "Go on, go."_

_Another day to read through the books and scrolls, and another one for the most complicated ritual. The elephant was great during the two days, as long as Chōji kept feeding him. Luckily the food materialized in a corner five times a day._

_The magic of the ritual changed the animal. His tough hide turned into a deep, dark brown color, and his small tusks grew out, passing his snout. A couple of inches before the point the tusks grew a single branch angling downward. He was also huge, growing several stories tall._

"_Master was right, this will be a problem." The elephant gave a thump of agreement, laying down on the floor so he wouldn't slam his head on the ceiling. "Ah, I got it." Chōji waved his hands in an intricate pattern and the elephant started shrinking. It was now horse-sized, large enough for him to ride, but small enough to fit everywhere in the Academia. "Awesome." The elephant gave another agreeing thump._

"_So what are you calling him?" Naruto asked when the two exited the room._

"_Hmm…" The elephant and human shared a look of concentration. "Vescor." The elephant gave a triumphant cry, liking the name. Naruto nodded in agreement._

"_Very well. Congratulations, Sorcerer." Chōji grinned._

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_Shino stood in the forest surrounding the Hidden Leaf, his eyebrows furrowed in though. He stopped briefly at his clan's compound, exchanging a few words with his father, and decided to get an insect for a familiar. Now the only question was… which?_

_A lone creature scurried closer to him, examining him with interest. He crouched down and extended his finger to it. The bug climbed on._

"_Hello, my little friend." It was an average sized Hercules beetle. "Want to come with me?" The creature clicked its mandibles excitedly. "Very well." He took off towards the Hokage's office._

_Arcturus took off from a tree above and headed to another part of the forest, in search of more students._

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_Shino teleported to the Main Hall and, nodding to his Master, entered the room, immediately reaching for the book with the hardest ritual. The insect followed all the instructions given._

_The insect grew to knee-height. Its shell turned dark, royal purple on the top and lighter purple on the sides, while its underside turned gray. A large horn grew on its face, above its six eyes, and another, smaller one on the top of its shell._

"_Not bad." Naruto nodded his head. "Now we are entering the realm of more traditional familiars. Never mind." He shook his head at Shino's questioning stare. "What have you decided to call him?"_

"_Scarabaeus."_

"_Mhm." Naruto nodded. "Congratulations, Sorcerer."_

"_Thank you Master._

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_Anko and Kurenai decided to look for their familiars together, as with most of the things they tended to do. Firstly they went into the forest to look around the undergrowth to find Anko a snake. She always did like the little critters, despite the negative representation they were getting from Orochimaru._

_They found a small tan viper curled up below a rock. The animal coiled up and bared its fangs at them. Anko raised her hands in a placating manner, slowly inching to the snake._

"_Sh, hey, little guy, relax. We're not gonna hurt ya." After a few tense moments the snake relaxed and slithered to Anko and up her arm. "Aw, aren't you just the cutest thing." She giggled, rubbing the top of the snake's head. "Isn't he, Kurenai?"_

"_If you say so." The other woman shook her head in amusement._

"_You'll be a good boy and follow me, won't you?" The snake nuzzled her cheek in response. "Great. So what do you want?"_

_Kurenai then led her to a local pet shop, where she selected a small tabby._

_Arcturus gave a small huff at the cat, but left to find the others. The damn thing better not cause any problems._

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_Naruto was leaning on one of the doors in the Main Hall when the two teleported there._

"_Hey, are we the last ones?" Anko asked._

"_No."_

"_Yeah! Take that you slowpokes." Naruto chuckled._

"_If you're done?" She nodded happily. "Good, then each of you take a door, please. This next part you will not be able to do on your own." They each nodded and took their doors, heading for the most difficult books, and starting the ritual as soon as they were finished._

_Anko's snake grew to about a dozen feet in length, and three feet in girth. Its color turned into a deep, blood-red and her scales elongated and hardened. Two horns grew on the back of its head, facing backward._

_Kurenai's cat grew double in size. Its ears sharpened and enlarged slightly, and its eyes turned red, much like her own. Its fur turned light blue, almost shimmering in the light._

_The two women exited their rooms at the same time, and went to stand next to each other, with their familiars next to them, Kurenai's cat lying on the snake's head._

"_Somehow, I expected something like this." Naruto was amused, but at them or their familiars they couldn't tell. "Names?"_

"_Luma." Kurenai said, earning a purr from the cat._

"_Adacto."_

"_Congratulations, then, Sorceresses." Kurenai gave a small bow while Anko grabbed him in a hug and twirled him around, making him a little dizzy._

"_Thank you Master._

"_Alright! Take that, bitches."_

"_Anko, dammit, can you let me go now?"_

"_Sorry."_

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_Ino was sitting on a couch in the Yamanaka living room. Her mother as next to her, with an amused smile on her face, and both were watching her father pace in front of the couch._

"_You're not going back." He said finally._

"_Excuse me?" Ino raised her eyebrow._

"_You will not be going back to get kidnapped by that bastard again. No, don't look at me like that; it won't do you any good."_

"_Mommy?"_

"_Sure sweetheart, you can go."_

"_Thanks." Ino kissed her mother's cheek and ran out of the compound._

"_But honey-"_

"_Don't you honey me Inoichi Yamanaka." He shrunk back from his angry wife. "You'd better believe you're in the doghouse today."_

_Ino was walking through the woods, deep in thought on her future familiar. She passed a few boards a while ago, but had disregarded them. She had enough grief from Sakura on that subject._

_Not looking where she was going, she tripped and fell forward, her head coming inches from an interesting sight. A small, black spider was backing away slowly from a spider wasp._

"_Yeh, get away from the spider." Ino picked up a rock and squashed the wasp. The little spider looked at her and approached cautiously, revealing the red hourglass shape on its abdomen. "A black widow." Ino said in amazement. "Cool. You're not gonna bite me, are you?" The spider clicked its mandibles and climbed up Ino's face, nestling into her hair. "I'll take that as a no. Come on, let's get this over with."_

_Arcturus looked at the rock the wasp was squished under, regretting the loss of a sack, and took off._

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"_I did it." She exclaimed when she appeared inside the Main Hall._

"_Yes, I can see that." Naruto said. "I suppose that's why you have a very dangerous spider holding onto one of your locks?" She nodded. "Alright then, don't let me keep you."_

_She went through the door and picked out the ritual, spending the next day in the bonding. Her little spider changed significantly afterwards._

_It was huge now, hundreds of times its previous size, and reaching to her knees. Its previous black color changed into a dark blue, and the hourglass on its abdomen a light blue. Satisfied, the two exited the room._

"_That thing isn't going to bite someone, is it?" The spider hissed at him in annoyance and reared back. Naruto shot a glare at it and it shrunk back, hiding behind Ino's legs._

"_Master! Don't be mean to Aranea. She won't be any trouble. Will you?" The spider shook her head._

"_I'll keep you to that, Sorceress."_

"_Yay! You hear that, we're so cool."_

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_Shikamaru was sitting at the kitchen table in the Nara clan compound. At first he had wanted to just skip this part and go straight to searching, but then realized it'd be far less troublesome if he'd just say hi to his mom. Judging by the bump on his head, he was right._

"_So how's it been?" His father asked from the other side of the table, sipping on tea._

"_Pretty good. Naruto can be troublesome at times, but he's a pretty good Master."_

"_Shouldn't you show your teacher some more respect?" His mother remarked._

"_When he can hear me? Yeah. And he did say we could just call him Naruto when not learning."_

"_He sent you back for something?"_

"_A pet." Shikamaru said simply, rather than trying to explain. "More like companion. I was thinking something that flies."_

"_Hawk? Eagle?" Shikamaru raised an eyebrow._

"_No, something far less troublesome than that. I was thinking an owl." Shikamaru nodded. "There are some around here, right? So I'll take a nap here until then. Maybe watch some clouds. I miss watching clouds."_

"_Miss it? Don't you spend the entire day doing that?" His mother questioned him. "I'm sure you have some lessons outside, you probably sneak a peek every now and then."_

"_There's no clouds u-… over there. Naruto calls it incentive."_

"_I like this guy already." Yoshino had an amused smile on her face._

"_You would."_

"_What was that?"_

"_Nothing mom!"_

_That night Shikamaru stood by a tree, silently observing the passing owls. His eyes followed a standard-sized one flying to a hole in a nearby tree. It landed there and put its head inside the whole, letting out a low screech. There was rustling coming from within the tree and another, slightly bigger, eagle-owl came out. It snapped its beak at the other owl and flew off. A few minutes later it returned with some king of rodent clutched in the beak. It gulped the rodent and put its head under its wing, ignoring the other owl. Shikamaru smiled at that._

_For anyone else, getting the owl to stop pretending to sleep and trust them might've been very difficult, but, seeing as how Shikamaru did the same thing, he was quickly returning to the Hokage's office with the bird perched on its shoulder._

_Arcturus gave an approving caw at having another bird in the Academia and flew towards the final student._

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_Naruto sweat dropped when Shikamaru appeared with an owl on his shoulder that didn't even bother waking up when they were teleported there._

"_Well, you've found a good match." Shikamaru nodded and entered the room, grumbling at all the books he would have to read. The own just remained asleep during that time, waking up only when it was time for the ritual._

_The magic enlarged the owl slightly. It was still able to fit on his shoulder. Its beak elongated slightly and sharpened and some of the feathers on its head turned upward, resembling four horns, the front two slightly larger than the back. The feathers also turned emerald green._

_The two left the room, returning to Naruto to show their work. "Consilia." He said simply, pointing to _

"_Nicely done, Sorcerer." The two shook hands._

"_Thank you, troublesome Master._

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_Hanabi snuck out of the village gates. She had no intention on facing her father at this time, or any other time, if she had anything to say about that._

_Still, she was determined to get the perfect animal for her companion, the one she had in mind when their Master first started explaining this whole familiar business to them. Maybe Master's familiar would like having another flying creature in the tower._

_The big forest surrounding the Hidden Leaf Village had some caves in it, so she had no difficulty finding a bat. Getting its trust, on the other hand, took a whole three days of trying. Finally she emerged with a small, grey creature with long ears._

_Arcturus gave a small sigh of relief and, with a mental message to his Master, disappeared back to the familiar plane._

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_When Hanabi appeared in the Main Hall, cradling the grey long-eared bat gently in her arms, she was very disappointed to see only her door remaining._

"_I'm last?"_

"_Yes. Don't let it get to you, though. Bats are notoriously hard-trusting, so I'm actually quite surprised it didn't take you longer. Besides, this was never a contest." She nodded and stepped through. She diligently read through all the books, like she was told, before deciding on the most advanced ritual, like all her fellow students._

_The magic of the ritual enlarged her bat to the size of the average parrot. Its ears sharpened a bit and its fur turned pitch black._

_Stepping outside, she came to her Master and put both hands in front of her, her familiar standing on them, looking at Naruto with interest. "Master, may I present to you Caeco."_

"_Good job, Sorceress." The girl's face broke into a wide smile for a moment before she schooled it into a neutral look._

"_Thank you Master." She gave him a small bow._

"_Hanabi, it's ok." Without warning she hugged him, making her familiar shriek in surprised and fly up. She gave him a small peck on the cheek and blushed, running to her chambers. Naruto chuckled as the bat flew after its Master uncertainly._

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_Arcturus landed on Naruto's shoulder as he teleported into his study._

"_So that's it, they've all gotten their familiars." The bird cawed "No, I don't think they'll be changing them, they seemed to be happy with the turn of events. You're satisfied with them?" Another caw. "I'm glad to think so. But you're not exactly compatible." Caw. "What do you mean 'it doesn't matter'? She's an owl. You're not. Granted, you're both birds, but..." Caw. "Agreed." Caw. "Yes, I suppose magic can do both things." Caw. "Of course I would. Just, give it a while, huh?"_

_-End of Lesson 1-_

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The students were gathered in the Main Hall, waiting for Naruto to appear in a flash, as he normally did.

"Good, you're all here." He greeted them. "…Nice clothes."

In celebration of their first quest, the Sorcerers of the Academia agreed to change into new clothes, ones that would reflect on their new skills.

Anko was wearing a red armored corset with golden trimmings, the color scheme of her outfit. The corset had shoulders that finished off in points, and to on the back there were two strips of fabric. The outfit had a tattered coattail flowing behind, with three scrolls fixed on the right side and the symbol of her School on the belt. She had sleeves on, with golden bracers. On her feet she had golden boots over red leggings.

Chōji was wearing a brown robe with four clasps on the right side, and brown pointed shoes. The belt had the sigil of his School emblazoned on it, and tan leather bracers with vine patterns were on his hands.

Hana was wearing a very dark orange open coat with metal shoulders and bracers. She had fishnet leggings under black shorts and boots, and a tan shirt without shoulders, ending over her breasts. The symbol of her School was on the back of the coat.

Hanabi was wearing a black outfit, without shoulders but with a high collar, and a dark grey half-dress. Her symbol was emblazoned on the front of her blouse.

Ino was dressed in an interesting dark blue outfit, leaving her belly button, sides, back and cleavage exposed. It didn't have any sleeved, but she did have long gloves on her hands and boots on her feet. The outfit had a long tail, and a strip of fabric at the front, reaching down to her ankles, with the symbol of her School on the end of it.

Kurenai's light blue outfit with golden trimming consisted of a cape, boots, bracers and dress combo, with the symbol of her School as the belt buckle.

Shikamaru had a sleeveless top with a coattail, bracers that ended over his palm, leggings and boots, all in various shades of green, emerald being the most prominent. His school sigil was on his belt, holding another strip of fabric to the front.

And, finally, Shino was dressed in a light purple robe with a high collar and wide sleeves. It had darker patches on the shoulders and front, and the symbol was on the back.

"Thank you Master." Hanabi blushed.

"Of course. Now come." He led them out the middle entrance and to the front of the floating island. The only things there were a cobblestone path leading from the doors to a circle that had a very large arch in the middle. It was made from black stone, with white runes covering it entirely. Naruto snapped his fingers and a swirling white portal materialized inside the arch. "That will lead you to the Hokage's office, where you will be given a mission briefing. We're still not at the point in time when a permanent site would be in the village itself, so the rune will remain in the office until you return. I will have some other matters top attend to here, but if you get into trouble I _will _know about it. Kurenai, you will be in charge" The raven-haired woman nodded. "Good luck, my Sorcerers.

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**There, that's done. Damn that lesson was big, over 3,500 words, but it's done. The other lessons will be of varying lengths, but none will be this long. It'll be just a simple explanation of a question. Speaking of which, don't be shy. I already have one, but I'm gonna need more.**

**I'll cover the familiars first before moving on to the clothes.**

**Ash, Cinder and Ember are the names I've given to Hana's dogs. You'll notice all familiars turned into their respective School colors, which I got from the icons in Neverwinter Nights 2. I thought the crescent moon thing might be fun.**

**Vescor is a Latin word meaning at, feed, devour, enjoy, live. At first I wanted to give Chōji a rabbit, but after some thought an elephant seemed to fit in better.**

**Scarabaeus is the Latin word for beetle. I really couldn't give Shino anything else. I'm really not satisfied with the description, so I'll post a link to the picture, just with the color scheme I mentioned. – www . theroundtablet wp-content/uploads/2012/04/insect-monster . jpg**

**Adacto comes from the Latin word **_**aductus, **_**meaning thrust, bite, forcing, biting. I say comes from, because, like a few others, I just mangled a few letters at the end to sound close and Latin-y. And really, can you imagine Anko with anything else?**

**Luma comes from the Latin word **_**lumen**_** meaning light. A cat seemed to fit with the whole illusion thing.**

**Aranea comes from the Latin word **_**araneam**_** meaning spider. I think I'll try to make Ino a seductress, so with that in mind I'm rethinking the Shikamaru/Ino pairing.**

**Consilia comes from the Latin word **_**consilium**_** meaning strategy. I like a wise animal for a wise man, and I also made the owl lazy. By the way, it's female. And with a picture of the horns, without that crown and peacock thing on the top. – th00 . deviantart fs70/PRE/i/2013/102/a/6/mother_owl_by_sanguisgelid us-d61ehxs . jpg**

**Caeco is the Latin word for blind. I think bats are pretty cool, and the whole no-vision thing against the Byakugan's all-vision thing seemed like a good move at rebellion for Hanabi.**

**Arcturus, I might as well explain that too while I'm at it, is the brightest star in the constellation Boötes, and the northern celestial hemisphere.**

**As for the clothes the descriptions, in my humble opinion, really sucked, so I'll give you all the pictures. Just change the color scheme to what I said. And yes, Kurenai and Anko both have gold in their outfits, and are the only ones, on purpose.**

**Ino – fc03 . /fs48/i/2009/176/c/5/_Asmodian_Sorceress_by_Anathe matixs . jpg**

**Hanabi – fc08 . deviantart fs71/f/2012/100/5/7/female_wizard_of_phoenix_guild _by_keleus-d4vo4se . jpg**

**Hana – fc00 . deviantart fs71/i/2012/293/1/5/chimera_summoner_by_billcreati ve-d5ig1z6 . jpg**

**Anko – godsofart wp-content/uploads/2012/06/diablo-3-wizard-02 . jpg**

**Chōji – fc07 . deviantart fs29/f/2008/180/f/3/Fire_mage_by_GRAFuS_ART . jpg**

**Shikamaru – img72 . imageshack . us/img72/33/bradwhitlamwizard . jpg**

**Shino – www . geekosystem wp-content/uploads/2013/08/dnd-wizard . jpg**

**Kurenai – fc09 . deviantart fs71/f/2012/101/c/d/female_wizard_of_ovl_necromant ic_guild_by_keleus-d4vswkb . jpg**


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